Tobacco feeding mechanism for cigarette making machines



May 7, 1940.

INES

J. SHACKLETON TOBACCO FEEDING MECHANISM FOR CIGARETTE MAKING MACH FiledJan. 14, 1938 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR JACK SHACKLETON BY v Q ATTORNEYPatented May 7, 1940 UNITED STATES PATENT, OFFICE TOBACCO FEEDINGMECHANISM FOR CIGARETTE MAKING MACHINES Jack Shackleton, London,England, assignor to American Machine & Foundry Company, New York, N.Y., a corporation of New Jersey Application January 14, 1938, Serial No.184,979 In Great Britain January 22, 1937 g Claims.

16 picked off and distributed on a feed drum or belt from which it isdelivered to the trough of the machine.

It is usual in connection with the main drum to provide a refuser devicecomprising a rotary carded drum the effective surface of which moves ina direction opposite to the main drum whereby excess tobacco thereon isbrushed off, and with a view to obtain as uniform a carpet or layer aspossible throughout the length of the drum, means have been providedassociated with the bight between the main drum and the refuser drumadapted to tamp or compact the tobacco on the main drum just prior tothe refusing action, the tamping or compacting action being with a viewto filling the carding uniformly, while the tobacco above the cardingwhich may be of varying thicknesses is removed by the refuser drum.

An object of the invention is to provide improved feeding means wherebya still greater uni-' formity in the layer or mat is made possible.

According to the present invention, in a tobacco feed mechanism of thetype set forth, a plurality of filling or carpet controlling means,preferably incorporating tamping or compacting 5 means, are arranged inseries in association with the main carded drum or equivalent feedingsurface, and refusing means associated with the filling means arearranged so that tobacco already fed past the first in the series may ormay not be subject to a subsequent removing action.

According to a further feature the invention comprises a tobacco feedingmechanism of the type described wherein means are provided for tampingor compacting'a carpet or layer on the carded drum or equivalent feedingsurface that has already been subject to a refusing action.

Where a pair of compacting or tamping devices are arranged in seriesthey may be interconnected to balance one another and thus avoidunbalanced moving parts.

The additional compactor or compactors may comprise a single weightedelement extending across the carpet or a series of individual weightelements may be provided.

The accompanying drawings diagrammatically illustrate an improvedfeeding mechanism according to the invention:

Figure 1 being an end View;

Figure 2 a side view; and

Figure 3 is a view in side elevation, looking 5* from left to right onFig. 1.

In carrying the invention into effect according to one convenient mode,by way of example, a main drum 5 is provided which has a carded surfacein the usual manner. This drum forms the 1 0 front surface of a hopperfor the tobacco the bottom of which comprises a belt feed 6 or drum bywhich the tobacco is fed to the main drum 5.

Above the main drum 5 a refusing drum 1 is provided which is effectiveto brush off excess to- 15' bacco from a position somewhat beyond thevertical plane of the axis of the main drum inthe direction of rotationthereof.

A tamping or compacting device is provided in the bight between the maindrum 5 and the re- 20 fuser drum 1 on the hopper side. This compactingdevice is oscillatable to and from the surface of the main drum and maycomprise a single bar or weighted member carried by pivoted arms.Preferably the compacting. device comprises a 25 series of individual 7weights 8 independently mounted on curved arms 9 (see Fig. 2) so thateach weight will control the compression or compacting of a section ofthe width of the feed. The arms 9 are mounted upon rollers I!) soarranged so that the arms oscillate about the axis of the refuserdrum 1. Means are provided for simultaneously lifting all the tampingarms and allowing them to fall freely on the tobacco. Such meansconveniently comprise a series of pivotally 35 mounted levers None foreach arm 9 to which they are coupled by chains I2 or other flexiblecouplings. The levers II are mounted upon a rock shaft l3 coupled by arod l4 and arm l5 to a crank disc I 6.

A second refuser drum I1 is mounted in advance of the first refuser drum1 and may be located to act upon the carpet of tobacco carried by themain drum at a position about from the vertical. 45

This second refuser drum I! may be so adjusted with regard to the mainfeed drum 5 that it will not remove or brush off tobacco throughout thefull width of the feed but only at places where an excess occurs so thatwhere the correct thickness 50 of carpet has been determinedsatisfactorily by the first filling means no further correction is made.

Located within the bight between the second refuser drum I1 and the maindrum 5 additional 5 tamping or compacting means are provided adapted tocompact the already treated carpet on the main drum.

These secondary compacting means may be mounted to oscillate about theaxis of the associatedrefusing drum or may be constrained to move in anyother suitable path. The secondary compactor comprises a single weightor bar l8 extending throughout the width of the feed. The bar I8 iscarried by arms l9 pivoted upon the axis of the refuser drum I1. I

The bar 18 is oscillated by its being connected by chains 20 to the endlevers H which have a downwardly extending arm Ha.

The rising movement of the bar I8 is efiected by the levers I l, Hawhile the return compacting movement is by gravity action.

Modified forms of tamping elements may be provided instead of the singlebar l8, when desired, as the showing of a gravity operated compactor I8is not intended to exclude the use of other suitable means.

The compactor (or compactors) I8 may be of any suitable shape in crosssection and may conform to the contour of the bight between the maindrum and refuser drum H, the movement being such, however, that thecompactor moves toward and from the surface of the main drum. As thesecond refuser drum l1 removes excess tobacco from the drum 5 a roll oftobacco may form in the bight between the main drum 5 and the refuserdrum I! and means may also be provided, to prevent the formation of ahard core in the roll of tobacco being compacted.

The main and secondary compactors 8 and i8 may be intercOnnected, as bythe arms 9, chains l2 and 20, and lever arms I I and I la, so that theybalance one another in operation, thus eliminating'the difiiculty ofhaving unbalanced moving parts on the machine.

Suitable devices may be incorporated in the inter-connecting means totake care of the differences in the amplitude of the two compactors, thelinkage l2, Ila-20 being adapted to serve that purpose.

The secondary tamping means l8 may be driven at suitable periodicityrelatively to that of the main tamping means 8.

Further compacting and refusing stages may be provided for controllingthe tobacco carpet on the main drum.

I claim:

1. A tobacco feeding mechanism of the type set forth comprising a maincarded drum, a reiuser drum cooperating with said main carded drum, 2:.first reciprocating tamping device disposed in position to act upon thetobacco prior topits entrance between the main carded drum and therefuser drum, a second refuser drum, and

' a second reciprocating tamping device disposed in position to act uponthe carpet of tobacco between the refuser drums, and flexible, yieldingmeans to support the weight of each of the tamping devices in its path,said supporting means being interconnected above said paths whereby theweight of one balances the weight of another in part at least.

2. A tobacco feeding mechanism, as claimed in claim 1, wherein thesecond tamping means comprises a bar extending across the feed, and armssupporting said bar to move in an arcuate path concentric with the axisof rotation of the second refuser drum and closely adjacent to theperiphery of the latter.

3. A tobacco feeding mechanism, as claimed in claim 1, wherein the firsttamping means comprises a series of individual elements extending acrossthe feed, arcuate carriers for said tamping elements, and means tosupport said carriers for lengthwise movement in arcuate pathsconcentric with said first refuser drum, whereby said first tampingelements are caused to move in arcuate paths concentric with the axis ofsaid first refuser drum, and closely adjacent to the periphery thereof.

4. A tobacco feeding mechanism as claimed in claim 1, wherein each ofthe tamping means is mounted to oscillate in an arcuate pathsubstantially parallel to the circumference of the co-operating refuserdrum.

5. Atobacco feeding mechanism as claimed in claim 1, wherein a rockshaft is provided having double armed levers thereon, and flexiblecouplings between the arms of the levers and the first and secondarytamping devices.

JACK SHACKLETON.

